Precious Cargo
by TraScully
Summary: Auror McGonagall is on a mission to get a package to Hogwarts. Her success is essential if Voldemort is to be defeated. A certain Transfiguration professor is sent to help her. They are good friends, but perhaps someday they will be more. MMAD.
1. Mysterious Stranger, or Not

(A/N: This is kind of a sequel to "Take Me Out to the Quidditch Match" by Bil, which is a very well-written story. Really, that story sparked my interest and this one would take place about 5 years after it. If Bil doesn't like that I wrote a sequel, of course I'll remove this story immediately.)

This takes place during Voldemort's reign, and Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

Minerva glanced behind her as she hurried through the crowded train station. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being followed, and the tiny trinket she gripped tightly inside her coat pocket was the reason why.

Working as an Auror during these dark times, she had adjusted to the ever-present feeling of sorrow. The Daily Prophet brought news of death each time she picked it up, and the fear of her family disappearing had settled upon her heart permanently.

Currently, her pocket contained the magically shrunken journals of Grindelwald, which were believed to hold dark knowledge which would be most dangerous if Voldemort's followers got hold of them. Minerva's job was to see that they didn't, and she was hurrying to catch another of many trains she would ride today.

Her final destination? Hogwarts, where the journals would be kept hidden by numerous spells and enchantments. Minerva shivered as she thought of the sheer power inside Hogwarts. Her time there as a student had been most enjoyable and entirely too short, as she had finished 2 years before the other witches of her age.

Glancing behind her one last time, she stepped onto the train car, relinquished her ticket, and found an empty compartment. Placing her small suitcase on the luggage rack, she sat down and released a huge breath she hadn't purposefully held. What a long day it had already been, and it would be midnight and 2 more train stations before she reached the school.

Reaching into her pocket as she had done hundreds of times already, she made sure the tiny box was still there. She sighed and looked down at the muggle clothes she had donned. Instead of her usual emerald robes, she was dressed in a knee-length black dress and an emerald "pea coat," as the saleswoman had called it. Minerva could not figure out why it was thusly named, as peas were considerable lighter in color than the jacket was.

Just then, the door opened and an older man entered the car, sitting down beside her. She thought it suspicious and a bit rude that he did not ask whether the seat was taken, but instead of unleashing her frustration upon him, she simply scooted across to the window, as far from him as possible, and leaned back in her seat.

The man seemed about as uninterested in her as she was in him, so they passed their whole train ride in complete silence. This was her shortest leg, so in a few hours they rolled into another station and the passengers unloaded onto the platform.

Minerva once again criss-crossed through the station and found her next train. Really, it was lucky she had grown up riding these everyday because, to someone less familiar with the setup, these tight connections would be problematic. As she boarded the new train, she looked down the hall and saw the man who had shared her last seat! He was facing away from her, so she still had not seen his face, but the auburn hair and royal blue suit were unmistakable. Minerva felt her heart grow chilly with fear, but simply spun on her heels and walked a few cars up, then entered another empty compartment.

Just as she was wondering why there were never locks on the compartment doors, the man in the blue suit opened hers and spun quickly, closing it behind him. He once again sat down next to her, and she once again pulled herself toward the window, this time with her heart beating loudly in her ears. Who was this man, and what was he going to do to her? No matter what, she would not relinquish the package in her pocket. She would die before telling him of its existence. She pictured her parents' faces clearly in her mind and breathed in quickly, feeling her face heat up as she thought of never seeing them again. Just as she was beginning to feel dizzy, the man spoke.

"Please stop, I am not here to hurt you."

"Then what are you here to do?" she asked, more harshly than she had meant to.

"Ensure your safe arrival at the school." His voice was calm and quiet. It also sounded vaguely familiar.

"What school? I am on my way to visit friends."

"Minerva, you finding time for friendship amidst all your research would be scientifically impossible."

At this, she whipped around and glared at him. "And just who do you think you are, that you know me so well?"

He smiled and turned his face to her. "Just one of many admirers, my dear."

Finally seeing his face, Minerva's frown transformed into the widest smile she had given since the war began. She positively beamed at him. "What the devil, Albus-" she began, but his look made her go silent.

"Not here, my dear. I was asked to shadow you until we reach the school. There is nothing I would rather do than settle down in front of a fire to discuss transfiguration, scientific laws, and the wizard's chess finals, but it will have to wait until tonight, at the very least. Until then, we must be total strangers."

This would prove difficult, since conversation between the two of them had come as easily as flying for a hippogryff. It had all started at a doomed quidditch match years ago. They were both dragged there by friends who promptly left them in their seats, prompting them to meet and discuss everything they could think of. Since then, they had remained in touch through the occasional letter and the occasional meeting at a ministry gathering or lecture. Each time proved more interesting than the last.


	2. Conversation on the Train

(A/N: This is kind of a sequel to "Take Me Out to the Quidditch Match" by Bil, which is a very well-written story. Really, that story sparked my interest and this one would take place about 5 years after it. If Bil doesn't like that I wrote a sequel, of course I'll remove this story immediately.)

This takes place during Voldemort's reign, and Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

"Isn't the countryside beautiful at sunset?"

Minerva turned to Albus to answer his question, before realizing he was leaning back in his seat, eyes closed in sleep. His question had been asked without words. While legilimency was not one of her strengths, particularly without eye contact, she had mastered the crude basics which had been taught during her Auror training.

"It is beautiful at all times, but, yes, most assuredly at sunset."

"You have improved at legilimency since we last met."

"I had to, Albus. The Ministry cited it as one of my weaknesses."

"I find it hard to believe they found any other weakness in you, my dear. How are you enjoying your new department?"

"It is much more challenging, and therefore infinitely more enjoyable to me."

"Did you have trouble with the quick turnaround? I am not aware of any other witch or wizard who has completed the grueling training in a mere six months!"

"The way I see it, I had no choice. Our current situation called for it, and I can help more people in my new capacity."

"You are a shining beacon of light in this present circumstance, Minerva. I was thrilled when the Minister requested I shadow you today."

"You were just relieved to get out of the castle!"

"On the contrary, Minerva. I have been called away much more often than I would like, due to Lord Voldemort's recent actions in Godric's Hollow. I can assure you, the reason for my happiness today is none other than you."

She snorted. "And here you have everyone fooled into believing you aren't a womanizer, Albus! You could flirt the pants off of a goat!"

A grin appeared on the "sleeping" man's face.

"Minerva. I would never purposefully attempt to unclothe a goat. In fact, I much prefer when Aberforth has each of them fully covered-up. In tuxedos."

Now it was Minerva's turn to grin. At that same moment, the train began to slow as it approached the station. She was glad to see the familiar shops and taverns of Hogsmeade, although the air did seem a bit darker since she last visited the village. That, of course, was before Voldemort came to power. Before the Death Eaters made fear an everyday occurrence, with each knock on the door or footstep in the dirt.

Just as Minerva was about to mentally revisit her own days as a student at Hogwarts, the train jolted to a complete stop. Other passengers emerged from their compartments and lugged their suitcases toward the exit, and Albus and Minerva did the same.

He stepped down off the train and turned around to offer his hand. She smiled at his chivalry, took his hand and stepped down after him. Their hands remained intertwined for just a few seconds longer than necessary, and then were slowly pulled apart as each set off toward the road. The castle was a short walk up the road, and then a longer walk up the winding hill. Each year, the students would make this journey by boat or thestral-drawn carriage, but as it was currently winter holiday, Minerva suspected neither would be waiting for them.

She was partly right.


	3. Arrival at Hogwarts

(A/N: This is kind of a sequel to "Take Me Out to the Quidditch Match" by Bil, which is a very well-written story. Really, that story sparked my interest and this one would take place about 5 years after it. If Bil doesn't like that I wrote a sequel, of course I'll remove this story immediately.)

This takes place during Voldemort's reign, and Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

What was waiting for them gave Minerva the creeps. It was a large animal which was completely unfamiliar to her, with 2 legs and an enormous beak. It was covered in shaggy hair and about the size of a horse. Casting an alarmed glance over at her partner, she noticed he was smiling at the beast.

"Imelda! How kind of you to meet us!" he called to the hairy thing, which cocked its head in their direction and gave a sort of nod.

Arriving at the animal, Albus turned to Minerva and held out his hand. "After you, my dear."

Evidently her shocked expression made it clear that she did not understand.

"Are you unfond of glepsies?" he asked confusedly.

"Albus, I have no idea what this thing is or what you want me to do, but it smells terrible."

His eyes twinkled as he gave her a smile. "Think not of Imelda's hygiene, only the fact that she will get us to the castle in one-third of the time it would take my old legs to walk."

She sighed and resigned herself to this fate. Taking his hand, she stepped up onto Imelda's bent knee and swung herself onto the animal's back. Albus climbed up in front of her, asked "Are we ready?" and the beast set off before Minerva could protest.

He was right about them reaching the castle more quickly this way. In no less than a minute, they landed at the large steel gates of the school. The journey had felt like one huge unsteady hop to Minerva, and she made a mental note to never travel by glepsy again.

"We must hurry, my dear," Albus prodded as she realized he had disembarked and was waiting for her to slide off the beast's back. She quickly swung her leg over and hopped down, landing next to him. After he murmured a complex spell, the gates slowly opened and they entered.

Reaching the castle, Albus waved his wand in what Minerva thought to be a starlike pattern, causing the huge wooden doors to creak and open outward for them. They crossed the stone entryway and followed the hallway leading to the dungeons.

Sniffing the air lightly, she smiled to herself at the familiar smell of books, ancient wood, and damp earth surrounding her. Hogwarts would always be a safe place for her. The years she had spent there were challenging, but she had always been well-liked (despite being a prefect!) among all four houses, which was a feat in itself. The bonds of friendship continued after graduation, especially with Pomona Sprout and Poppy Pomfrey.

Minerva hoped her next visit to the school would be for a more pleasurable reason than the delivery of dangerous property for safekeeping.

Albus led the way down the narrowing corridor. The torches provided their only light as they began their descent down the spiral staircases. As a student, Minerva had ventured this far only once, and she forever regretted it. At that time, the inner dungeon was being used for a Mackled Malaclaw sanctuary, and one had bitten her. Consequently, she had been unlucky for the following week, which was—unfortunately—examination week. None of her professors understood how she scored perfect marks on each homework assignment, essay, quiz, and special project, and then failed every exam. Luckily, her high marks in every other term prevented the flub from ruining her record.

Caught up in her reverie, she hadn't noticed the wizard in front of her stopping at a doorway. Minerva walked right into Albus' back.

"Oof!" She backed away and cupped her nose with both hands. A dull pain stung her nose and chin, and Albus spun around quickly.

"Are you alright?" he appeared concerned, and reached up to remove her hands from her face. Leaning in to inspect her, his face hovered mere inches from hers. He traced the curve of her nose down from her eyebrows, then followed her cheekbones out and brought his fingers around to meet at her chin. As he removed his hands from her face, his fingertips lightly brushed her bottom lip, and he gave a small smile.

"Nothing is broken. Lucky for you, because you might end up with a face like this!" he said, motioning to his own famously crooked nose.

"That would indeed be frightening. I shall be much more careful in the future."


	4. The Hiding Place

(A/N: This is kind of a sequel to "Take Me Out to the Quidditch Match" by Bil, which is a very well-written story. Really, that story sparked my interest and this one would take place about 5 years after it. If Bil doesn't like that I wrote a sequel, of course I'll remove this story immediately.)

This takes place during Voldemort's reign, and Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

They stood in front of a stone entryway which opened to an extremely narrow passage. The darkness seemed tangible, and Minerva purposefully refrained from shivering.

"After you, my dear." Albus lit his wand, and she did the same. She entered the passageway and continued forward about fifty steps, until the passage turned sharply to the right. The pair followed in the pitch black for what seemed like hours, until reaching a small round room. In the middle of the floor sat a stone box.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Albus swish-and-flicked, and the stone lid slowly levitated about a foot in the air. It hung there, immobile.

"Minerva, would you place the journals inside?"

She, in reply, scooped the small paper-wrapped package from her jacket pocket and approached the box. When she reached the edge and stooped to place the parcel inside, she became aware of a gnawing sensation in her stomach. Mentally tracing the last few hours, she realized she hadn't eaten lunch or dinner- but this gnawing quickly became a searing pain, and it had nothing to do with hunger. The last thing she remembered was being flung back against the wall, and then everything went black.


	5. A Shock

(A/N: This is kind of a sequel to "Take Me Out to the Quidditch Match" by Bil, which is a very well-written story. Really, that story sparked my interest and this one would take place about 5 years after it. If Bil doesn't like that I wrote a sequel, of course I'll remove this story immediately.)

This takes place at the beginning of Voldemort's first reign, and Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

When Minerva awoke, she staring up at an ornate stone ceiling, with beautifully carved trees branching out from each corner. She could detect the faint smell of tea and also the stronger smell of musty books. Both smells were pleasant and comforting, which is why she wasted no time in sitting up.

Immediately, she felt a deep pain in her stomach, reminding her of the events leading up to her blackout, and she fell back to a laying position with a grimace on her face.

"You're back!" Albus' cheerful voice called from another part of the room, and in a few short seconds she saw him come into focus and sit down next to her—on a chair matching the settee she occupied. He made a perplexed face, stood up quickly and removed 3 books from underneath his rear, and sat back down while placing the books gingerly on the floor.

"What in the name of Merlin happened down there?" she asked incredulously. Albus now looked sheepish.

"Just as you reached into the urn, one of the guarding jinxes struck you. You see, my dear, I have had help installing protection for these documents. Three separate wizards have been arming the dungeon passageways and that particular room for the better part of a month now, and evidently one of the jinxes was designed to throw back anyone who wished to read Grindelwald's writings. I was unaware of this spell. But I must say, even if I had known of it, I would not have thought it necessary to inform you. I had no idea you were curious about his journals."

It was Minerva's turn to look sheepish.

"I must confess, I have been mildly interested in the contents ever since I learned of their existence. To think what madness is held inside such normal-looking books…" she pondered, still staring up at the ceiling.

Albus leaned over, appearing in her line of vision now. "Please do not dwell on it, my dear. I can assure you, they contain nothing which would improve your already-fascinating mind."

"I am assuming, based on your tone, that you have read them yourself."

"Unfortunately, Minerva, I was present when many of them were written."

She squinted up at him, not comprehending. Prodded by her perplexed expression, Albus explained:

"Gellert Grindelwald and I were partners in his mission for a short while."

At this, her mouth and eyes clamped shut. This was unexpected. This man in whom she trusted, to whom she attributed only good and wholesome things, had once partnered with the most twisted dark wizard of their age. Grindelwald was responsible for destroying a whole generation's dreams and aspirations, including those of her parents. He and his followers murdered thousands of witches, wizards, muggles and magical creatures, merely to advance their demented belief in pure blood dominance. Presently, Tom Riddle was following in his footsteps and quickly becoming a household terror himself. And Albus Dumbledore, champion of love and goodwill and peace among all, had just admitted his involvement in Grindelwald's insanity.

Opening her eyes, Minerva craned her neck to look over at Albus. He still sat in the patterned chair, only instead of watching her, his eyes were closed and his lips were moving.

"Albus? What are you doing?"

His eyes shot open. "My apologies. I was merely planning how to get you back to the Ministry in the event that you did not wish to remain in my presence any longer."

She smiled. "I don't think that will be necessary. I'd wager you're about as evil as a house elf."

And it was true. There was no way any of that pure-blood dominance nonsense had any hold over Dumbledore any more; that was evidenced by fifty years of his fighting against it. Whatever evils he had committed in his past, Minerva realized, it mattered more how he had chosen to live his life since the mistakes of his younger years.

"I am feeling much better. Is there somewhere I can spend the night?"


	6. Recovery and Rest

(A/N: This is kind of a sequel to "Take Me Out to the Quidditch Match" by Bil, which is a very well-written story. Really, that story sparked my interest and this one would take place about 5 years after it. If Bil doesn't like that I wrote a sequel, of course I'll remove this story immediately.)

This takes place at the beginning of Voldemort's first reign, and Dumbledore is the Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts.

One Unspeakable had described to Minerva the dusty lodgings he occupied one night while doing business at Hogwarts, but the rooms to which Albus led her were vastly different. After he muttered "Falafel!" the portrait swung in and the two of them stepped inside.

He lit each of the wall torches with a single wave of his wand, and Minerva breathed in. They were standing in a huge room. She knew this was what the muggles called a "studio apartment," having inhabited one for part of her childhood years. The sitting area was immediately before them; a large canopy bed and wardrobe occupied the left corner, a small kitchen area and table along the back, and bookshelves lined the right wall. The windows were draped with Gryffindor red and gold, and the carpets and pillows matched them.

"I think this will suit you," he said, and turned to leave. "I expect to see you in the Great Hall for a most delicious breakfast!"

"Thank you, Albus. I am looking forward to it."

With that, he stepped out of the portrait hole, turned around to give her a wink, and was off.

Immediately, Minerva set her small suitcase on the coffee table and crossed to the desk. Absentmindedly scanning the books on the wall, she noticed a great deal of them were about Transfiguration. She sat at the desk and scratched a note onto the provided parchment:

_Pomona-_

_Are you at Hogwarts for the holidays? I am here on business but will probably leave sometime tomorrow- I'd like to see you if you haven't left._

_-Minerva_

She scribbled "Pomona Sprout; Hogwarts" on the envelope and sealed it, then buttoned her jacket up and headed out the portrait hole. It was a rather long walk to the Owlery, and it was pure madness to walk so far only to send an owl right back to the castle, but Minerva had no idea where her friend's living quarters were. The walk would give her plenty of time to mull over this new information about Albus' past.

By the time she returned to her guest suite, it was well after midnight. Minerva slipped off her muggle coat and dress, and crawled into the canopy bed's deliriously soft blankets. Her current living quarters, in a small London flat, could not compare to the elegance of Hogwarts. She wondered how soon her work would bring her back here, and it was this thought which carried her off to sleep.

It was remarkable that Minerva did not run into Albus in the castle hallways on her way to or from the Owlery, because he was pacing them well after she returned and went to sleep. His heart was heavier than usual, though admittedly still much lighter than most peoples' on a normal day due to his naturally cheerful demeanor. His thoughts were focused on those many years ago, and his dealings with Grindelwald. His mistaken belief in the madman's ideals, and his twisted hunger for power. Dumbledore hoped that his life's work since that fateful summer in Godric's Hollow had begun to repair the damage he inflicted, but he was not certain anything could. It was this thought which carried him off to sleep.


End file.
